"You Choose" - Chakana

Venue: Chakana; 140 Alcester Road, Moseley; B13 8HT; website
Choice: Scallops, yellow chilli cream, Andean grains (£10) Chooser: Chef

We're swigging tiger's milk. Not literally milk from a tiger — sicko— this is a Peruvian ceviche sauce that cures fish and, it is claimed, "cures" hangovers when drunk. We're hungover and willing to try anything. By jingo this may just have worked! And what perfect timing because to have endured anything other than heaven during this meal would have been blasphemy. Chakana, Moseley's newest darling, is now our darling, and head chef Robert Ortiz — without wanting to over-egg it — might be all of the answers to all of our problems. The bar area with its vibrant pop of cobalt blue has echoes of heyday Cheval Blanc, while the vault based PDR — this was previously Lloyds bank — is surely one of the coolest dining rooms in the city. But what of the food? Father God and sonny Jesus, it's sublime. Ortiz has previous, working at the Landmark in Marylebone and the Four Seasons in Canary Wharf, before taking Lima, in Fitzrovia, to a Michelin star in 2013. You sense he's gunning for another here, in little Moseley, and though it's perhaps some way off a week into its existence, Chakana has launched at a whiplash-inducing trajectory. Buckle in for a joyous, vibrant, fresh menu of achingly pretty dishes that score on substance as much as on style. The scallop dish might have been the pick. A light lick of sealife given perfectly balanced citrus and spice notes, while crispiness from the cereal shows Ortiz mastery of texture as well as taste. From the cold ceviches to the hot mains, this was a front-to-back pleasure. Menu